Pault17

My little 110-lb Russian HF "platypus" was laid into a 1-inch deep routed depression in the top of my stump. The bottom was cut with three generous feet oriented with the heel and the horn (two to the rear, one to the front), with about a slight 1/4 inch gap around the anvil. The stump has since dried a whole lot more that when I first got it (and it had fallen years prior, but ended up not on the ground), and has shrunken so tightly around the anvil that I would need a crowbar and chisel to wedge the thing out. It sticks in there even when using an 8-lb sledge.

A few years back, I was at a local chapter meeting and a young-ish journeyman smith was visiting from Germany. He had a small plastic jar of tinning paste. He wiped it on and heated it till it looked like it was going to run, and that was that. a perfect coating of tin. he said they used it all the time for just what you are talking about - cups, bowls, ladles, etc. he said it was very durable, if not cheap. My apologies for not remembering what it was called.

Basher, you sound like my wife. No, really, she said the same thing and what I thought was a meager amount ended up being 600 lbs. filled a couple of my propane tanks for the forge.

Sam, to revisit this, I stopped by J&D's today. They have a small supply of just about anything, but it is haphazard. you get what's there. They have an assortment of mild and stainless steel, aluminum and a bunch of whatever anybody is trading in as scrap for cash. currently charging about .50/lb for the steel, although you may haggle a bit. They do have some new stock but you pay new prices. the place is kinda like a flea market for metal.

Sam, I know that many of the local smiths in and around Raleigh go to J&D's for stuff. If you aren't a member yet, com to the Raleigh state fair grounds on Saturday the 24th for out every-other-month meeting. we will be setting up the shop there for the upcoming state fair. paul

welcome to the disease/addiction. I like the tool and will have to try it out, but I would make it fit the hardy, just so's it won't spin around too much. I usually don't have many "helpers" around so I have to make my own. I have a simple L-shaped bar as long as my anvil, with a little hook at the end to keep things from slipping off, that fits my pritchel and lets me hold long things on the anvil without having a third hand.

I happened upon a bunch of sheet cutoffs from a stainless fabricating place near a local community college, which I use to make shovel blanks from. I am pretty sure it is non hardenable. The shovel I made for the shop at the state fairgrounds is still virtually untouched after 5 or 6 years. nice stuff

That is a beauty of a draft. The one we have at the fairgrounds' shop drafts like that when the heat is up. It actually develops a sorta rumbly roar. Very soothing when starting it up in the morning

1991 honda civic lx sedan with 240+K miles on it. I can fold the rear seat back down and, with tarps or blankets, fit up to 7' material in there. no passenger space doin' that tho'.

He is way more pesonable in person. It's always amazing to watch a master at work.

Yes, I would suggest buying some round, some flat, and some square. 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 on the square and round (more of the smaller, less of the bigger). as small as 1/8 x 5/8 up to 1/4 x 1 1/2 on the flat, with pieces in between. I personally use more of the 3/16 x 1 or 1 1/4 for things like pot racks. mind you, these are for smaller things to make. I have been surviving on a small stockpile of 3/8 round for years and supplementing with what I want/need for other things Mind you, I make a lot of campfire cooking tools and such

definitely one of the tools I have wanted to make/have/get. thanks Mike

Gerald. Wow! to watch a piece of steel get that long in one heat. Wow! thanks for sharing. I am with you on the osha thing. They have a place, but if you follow every safety rule they put out, it would be safer to commit sepuku

Okay, what and how is "tin wash"? with a T-shirt? The skillets look great, but that's not a surprise. Thanks for showing them Mike.

nice one. I enjoy others' stories, as well as sharing mine. My first intro was at a renfair somewhere around central NJ (lakewood) when I was a senior in high school. I talked with the female apprentice who was cleaning up the "shop" at the fair while her master was at lunch. I passed on an invite to talk with the master about apprenticeship in his shop in toledo, spain (young and dumb and afraid to leave home) After I was newly married (still married to the same beautiful woman going on 21 years, and parents of 10 indigenous children), we went to a little mountain fair in "little" washington VA and actually swung a hammer on steel for the first time. The smith said I was a "natural" and should try it out, but I didn't (again). Well God was evidently involved with all these attempts, because about 8 or 9 years ago, I moved my family down to a little town just south of Raleigh NC. A year later my in-laws followed us and retired onto a small 15-acre piece of what used to be some families farm. Their retirement place was about 4 acres cleared and the rest was hilly brambles and woods with all kinds of junk pushed into the woods. One day, I was walking around in their woods and stubbed my toe on the "toe" of a little 75-lb no name anvil. Just the toe was sticking up, and I dug the anvil out with a pocket knife. Low and behold, buried right next to the anvil was a 4-inch, 40-lb leg vice missing the spring. minimal rust and fully operational. nothing else was within 20 feet. believe me, I checked on my hands and knees. Well I brought the anvil and vice up to the house (about a 1/4 mile away, but those things practially floated the whole way) and showed them to my Father in Law. He said he didn't want 'em and my wife said "God had to dump them on you to make you get the hint". I have been happily banging ever since, any chance I can get.

James, Your style is very impressive. I spent a short time in the green machine, and appreciate the support you are giving them. Again, love your style. thanks for sharing

Dodge, I will have to look into that 421 stuff. I have a small homemade gas forge that is about 6 years old without ever re-lighing or needing to. Mind you, it is not a daily use thing and probably has less that 5-600 hours use. That being said, I use kaowool coated in satanite to about between 1/16 and 1/8 inch (3 coats), then coated that with itc-100. I have had no problems unless someone else uses the forge and tries to be the harlem globe-trottin blacksmith in it.

Frank, be sure and let us know how it goes. pics, video.... all would be great

goodness mate. where did you get that monster of an anvil. that is beautiful

The fire was lit!! With the exception of the state fair, I have very little experience with a solid-fuel forge. And charcoal is different than coal. I have several things to do with the forge for tuning, but it works and gets great air flow/pressure. I lit it last night and knocked out a quick little leaf key hanger/fob out of some 1/2" round. Now I know what fire-fleas are. woohoo.

Develops that muscle for the "original" cordless screwdriver?

very nicely done

Bigfoot, thanks for the information. even I think I can use it and not screw up too badly. Loneforge, love the shape and finish. you could send one down here any time, and I could brag about you to all my friends

Borntolate, the bar is a piece of 3.25" round bar about 31" long in a bucket of concrete. The bar is supported 5 inches from the bottom of the bucket on a "table" of 1/4" square bent into two nesting upsidedown U's with a cross of #5 rebar below the table. this is not a striking anvil, rather it will be used as a training anvil for kids and scouts, and can be left outside pretty much indefinitely. The total weight is between 140 and 150.